10 of the best post-9/11 books. The Guardian

The Guardian (London) - Final Edition September 3, 2011 Saturday Review: 10 of the best post-9/11 books
SECTION: GUARDIAN REVIEW PAGES; Pg. 4

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The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam (Faber) A heartbreaking novel set amid the unresolved and probably unresolvable antagonisms of post-Taliban Afghanistan.

The Fear of Barbarians by Tzvetan Todorov (Polity) A distinguished philosopher reclaims the Enlightenment from its self-proclaimed defenders.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (Penguin) Set in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, a vivid account of an American Muslim besieged by a cruel and neglectful government.

Secret Son by Laila Lalami (Viking) A prescient fiction, set in Morocco, about aspirations and resentments that the "Arab spring" has made better known.

Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma (Atlantic) A nuanced report on Europe's unaccommodated and distrusted minority, and an antidote to the poisonous canard known as "Eurabia".

Descent into Chaos: The World's Most Unstable Region and the Threat to Global Security by Ahmed Rashid (Penguin) Impassioned investigation by a veteran reporter.

Standard Operating Procedure by Philip Gourevitch and Errol Morris (Picador) A brilliant reconstruction of Abu Ghraib. Harrowing and dispassionate - not an easy combination

A Fury for God by Malise Ruthven (Granta) Superb overview of the evolution, attitudes and ideology behind radical Islam

Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Kepel (IB Tauris) Very good on the role of the lower middle class and successive failure of various ideologies in the Middle East.

The Longest War by Peter Bergen (Simon & Schuster) Excellent analysis from one of the best US-based analysts and reporters.